To Imprint is to Love and Protect
by 7 Ace
Summary: Edward has left Bella after she agreed to marry him. Little did she know that Edward had other plans. When she found out, he was already gone. While going to cry on her best friend's shoulder, she learns that she's got someone who really does love her.


"Jacob! Wake up! Bella's outside tearing apart the garage!" Dad yells at me.

"What the fu-hell?" I respond. I run out the front door after pulling on some shorts and I see that Dad was right. She really is tearing it apart. Everything is being thrown out of it.

"Bella! What in the hell are you doing?"

"He left me again! I can't do this anymore! This is the second time, Jacob! He wanted to marry me and I told him that I would love to, but he just ran off without telling anyone where he was going! He's blocking Alice, Jacob!"

I walk over to her and pull her into my arms. "Bella, honey, it's okay. Calm down, I'm here."

"I knew you would be… I just- I threw the bracelet you made me in here because I was so angry. I can't find it, Jake."

"It's okay, honey, don't worry about it. I'll find it later. Why don't we go down to the beach? It's pretty warm today." I pull her closer to me as I said this.

"I'd like that. Can I stay here today? I don't want to go home, there are too many memories…" she says on the verge of tears.

"Of course, Dad and I have always been open to you staying with us. You just might want to tell Charlie, though."

"It would have been easier if he would have just told me where he went, but he couldn't do that. He didn't even tell his family! I'm sick of this, Jacob…"

All I can do is nod as I pick her up and carry her to our spot on the beach. When I get there, the rest of the pack is hanging out with their imprints and they turn to look at us. Sam raises his eyebrows at me and I whisper, "Not now…" so softly that Bella can't hear me. Sam nods and turns his attention back to Emily.

"It looks like it wasn't just your idea to come to the beach," Bella says.

"No, this dufus took our idea. It was only supposed to be couples…" Paul sneers.

"Oh really? Like you have any right to be here then either! Last thing I heard was that you were going after anyone with….mmph… Jake, what the hell?" she asks me.

I shrug and say, "It's not me, honey. It's Quil."

"Okay then, what the hell was that for?" she asks, pouting.

"There's a four year old here, Bella. That's what it was for." Quil is seriously overprotective of Claire's little ears, but I totally get it. If she was my kid, I'd be the same, but she's not his kid, she's his imprint.

"Sorry, where is little Claire, anyway?" Bella asks.

"Bella, Bella, I's here, I's here," Claire says as she walks up to her and jumps into Bella's lap.

"Hey, girlie, how are you?" Bella asks, softly.

_God help me… She's so adorable. _I can just see Bella holding my daughter or my son in her arms, but I shake that idea instantly because the leech could come back or she might not feel the same about me.

She looks up at me and smiles, making my heart melt. _She has no idea what she does to me…_

"Go on and play, Claire, go have some fun." She lets Claire go and Claire runs toward Quil, yelling his name.

"Quil! Quil! Up, up, I want up!"

"Okay, up you go," he says, lifting her.

"She's so cute, don't you think?" Bella asks me.

"Yeah, she is, but listening to Quil think about her every time we shift is really annoying."

"Not as annoying as you are, dude," Embry says from behind me.

I throw a rock at him to get him to shut up, but Bella starts talking to him. "Really? Who does he think about?"

_Oh shit…_

"Oh, no one special…" Embry leaves it at that and walks away, while I growl at him. He starts laughing and says, "Good luck, dude."

"What was he talking about, Jake?"

"Don't worry, Bella, Embry's talking out his as-butt. Patrolling with Embry sucks! At least the one that Jake thinks about he has a chance with. Embry thinks about you when he's patrolling with me and it's freaking sick!" Paul says, mock gagging.

I growl and she laughs. "Hey, Embry…" She stretches out the "y" and gets up.

_Jesus… what is she going to do, now?_

"Bella, don't do anything weird, okay?" I ask, pleading.

"I'm going to torture the pup, that's all. Is that okay?"

"As long as you tell me why you're so happy after being so angry less than an hour ago…" I say, worried.

"I don't know, Jake, whenever I'm around you and the rest of the pack, I feel at home. You might want to watch this, though." She walks off laughing and the other guys and I follow Bella to see what she'll do.

"Bella, stop! Okay, okay, I won't think like that! Please, just stop!" Embry screams.

"You better not, or I'll have the other guys, and Leah, kick your ass for me. If I try to do it, then I'll end up breaking something. I bet that Paul and Jacob would love to kick your ass. Just ask everyone else how Paul reacted to your little comment. He says that Jake has a chance with whoever he thinks about and honestly, whoever he thinks about is one lucky person. To hear that a kid like you thinks about me like that, that's just sick."

Embry nods furiously and my jaw is almost on the ground before Leah hits me in the back of the head. "Ow…" I whisper.

"She's one tough broad, Jake. I like her. You break her heart, and you're dead, got it?" Leah says so only I can hear.

"Like you don't know…" I whisper back at her.

"You've got to be kidding me… no one told me." She looks pissed.

"Yeah, so that little tease is mine, is there a problem with that?" I ask back.

"No, I know why Embry said that about you, though. She should know."

"You think I don't know that? She's get over that damned leech again!"

"Just because I told you that didn't mean you had to go telling the rest of the pack, Jacob Ephraim Black!" Bella yells at me, running off.

"Damn it, Bella! Bella, honey, wait! Please!" I call after her, following her.

When we get to a clearing, she stops suddenly. "How could you? I told you that because I knew I could trust you! They still think he's here! Now, they'll want to know everything. Why, Jacob?"

Seeing her on the verge of tears is too much for me. I feel a tear roll down my cheek and I reach out for her. She backs up and says, "Tell me, Jacob. Just tell me. I know that it was a joke from Embry, but I know something is going on. Am I going to lose you, Jake?"

"No, honey, you are never going to lose me, I'm not going anywhere."

"Then why did they say you have a chance with the one you think about? Did you imprint on someone?"

"They're stubborn and they don't give me my privacy. They think that she and I have a chance that's all they meant."

"You didn't answer me, Jake. Did you… imprint?" She's looking into my eyes and I have to look at the ground.

"Yes…"

"Oh god… why did you have to be taken too? First, Edward and now you? What am I, cursed?" She drops to her knees and sobs.

_Wait a second, "taken too"? What the hell?_

"Bella, what do you mean Edward's taken?" I ask, quietly.

"They may not know, but Tanya showed up last week and they hit it off! He wouldn't talk to me or come over! He never even called me! He asked me to marry him and then he went off with Tanya fucking Denali!"

I kneel down and pull her onto my lap before whispering, "Bells, I told you, you're never going to lose me. The pack said that they thought that the girl and I had a chance because she's my best friend. She has been since I was a kid."

"W-what, are you serious?" she asks, eyes going wide.

"I imprinted on you the first time you came to check on me. I just couldn't tell you because you were with Edward…" _I don't know what I'll do if she rejects me._

"Why didn't you tell me before I went to Italy?"

"Why do you think I begged you to stay with me? You wouldn't listen to me. It kills me to not be around you. Just the thought of being away from you is hell on my insides."

She nods and then does something unexpected. She wraps her arms around my neck and presses her lips to mine. Just as I'm about to deepen the kiss, I hear howls.

"Damn it…" I whisper.

"Mmm… Jake… your brothers and sister need you. I'll be at your place making dinner for everyone. Does that sound good?" she asks kissing my neck.

I moan and nod. "I'd love that."

"Good… now go."


End file.
